Top 50 most powerful women in wine: 10-1
19th December, 2012
by
Lucy Shaw
10. LAURA JEWELL MW
AGE: 49
In charge of fine wine at Tesco, the UK’s largest supermarket chain, Jewell wields enormous power over consumer palates. She became an MW in 1997 and has headed up fine wine at the retailer since 2010.
This October, Jewell replaced Bill Page as the chairman of the Wine and Spirits Education Trust, becoming the first woman in the company’s 43-year history to hold the post. Having clocked up senior wine buying experience at both Spar and Sainsbury’s, Jewell oversees Tesco’s own- label and exclusive wines, such as the hugely successful Ogio.
In a bid to highlight its fine wine offering, this July Tesco announced it was to sell high-end Bordeaux, including Château Lafite, Mouton Rothschild, Cheval Blanc and Pontet-Canet, via its Tesco Wine by the Case online operation, launching this autumn with the lauded 2009 vintage.